Treasury Cabinet Secretary (CS) John Mbadi has retracted his earlier statement that there is no money to employ Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers on permanent and pensionable terms. In a significant U-turn, Mbadi admitted he was wrong and clarified that funds have indeed been allocated for this purpose.
Speaking on Sunday, Mbadi acknowledged his error, stating, “Those who are saying there is money in the budget for JSS teachers are right. I am wrong, and there is nothing wrong with saying I am wrong.” He explained that his previous comments were based on concerns about the existing cash crunch, which might affect teachers’ salaries from July to December.
However, Mbadi clarified that the budgetary allocation for converting the 20,000 JSS teachers to permanent terms, effective January 2025, is in place.
“What I should have made clear is that there is money in the budget for conversion of JSS teachers to permanent and pensionable from January 2025, and there is KES 22 billion available,” he noted.
The CS further reassured that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been informed of these budgetary provisions. “I actually implied that there would be no money to pay them from July to December, but I should have been very clear that there is money in the budget from January,” Mbadi clarified.
The National Treasury also issued a statement, reaffirming the government’s commitment to funding the JSS teachers’ employment. “The Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning Hon John Mbadi assures Kenyans that funds have been allocated by the government to employ Junior Secondary School teachers on permanent and pensionable terms starting Jan 2025,” the statement read.
